Over the weekend, the Food and Drug Administration approved an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Johnson and Johnson COVID vaccine. The big thing is that this is a single dose vaccine with very easy to meet storage requirements:
Good to chat with @thsaey @ScienceNews about implications of EUA for J&J #covidvaccine. Having an effective single-dose vaccine could be a global game changer. @dukeghic @DukeGHI @DukeMargolis https://t.co/y0whFoVxqm
— Krishna Udayakumar (@krishna_u) February 28, 2021
This generates a few questions:
Which vaccine should I get?
Get vaccinated by whichever vaccine is locally available as soon as possible. All of the vaccines that have an EUA are equally effective in protection against death and severe disease. From a risk assessment point of view, all of the vaccines definitely reduce the consequences of infection. We are generating evidence on transmission effects at this time, but there are hints that the vaccines reduce transmission risk as well.
When should I get vaccinated?
As soon as possible. Pay attention to your state/local prioritization orders but once your group can vaccinated, go get vaccinated.
Where should I get vaccinated?
The federal government is setting up mass-vaccination sites. Primary care providers are likely to be able to get access to the one-shot vaccines and distribute through those channels. Get a vaccine from whatever source is easiest for you to schedule.
What should I do after I get vaccinated?
Go get ice cream. After that, still remember that you don’t get protection from infection for several days. Continue to mask-up and maintain outside social engagement whenever possible. After a week or two hugs are way lower risk. As more people get vaccinated, the odds that July 2021 look way more like July 2019 than July 2020 increase. We can get through this. We just need to ride out another couple of months as restrictions ease but we stay smart with behavioral modifications as well as built environment modifications. For instance I have a hard time seeing myself sitting and drinking in a bar while bullshitting with friends for a long time; however I’m more than willing to grab a beer and go out to the patio to geek out about price-linked subsidies in a month or two.